Wire-clamp.



UNITED STATES" Patented November 24, 1903.

JOHN E. DUSANG, OF LARUE, OHIO.

WIRE-CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,730, dated November 24:, 1903.

llpplication filed October 10, 1902. $erial No. 126,790. (No model.) i i To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. DUSANG, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Larue, in .the'county of Marion and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Wire-Clamp, of

, complete.

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices employed for the purpose of clamping and stretching wire, and designed more particularly for assisting in stringing telegraph and telephone wires, fence-wires, and the like, but may be employed in stretching and stringing wires employed for other purposes; and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited in any manner in the employment of the device to any specific structure or for any specific purpose.

The invention consistsin certain novel features of construction whereby a simply-constructed and easily operated and applied device is produced which may be conveniently attached to and disconnected from the Wire without injuring or weakening the-wire, as hereinafter shown and described,and specified in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of theinven tion, Figure 1 is a plan View of the device Fig. 2 is a reversed plan view of the head portion of the device. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fixed or stationary jaw detached. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the movable jaw detached. Fig. 5 is a detached detail view illustrating a modification in the structure.

The improved device comprises a stationary-jaw. member 10, extended to form a handle 11 and provided with a cavity 12, as shown.

Extending from the jaw 10 is a guide-plate 13, the face of theguide-plate being in alinement with one side of the jaw member, as indicated in Fig. 3. The plate 13 is shown riveted to the jaw'member 10, as .by rivets 14, but may be formed in one piece with the jaw member or may be otherwise connected thereto, as preferred. The movable-jaw member is indicated at 15 and consists of a bar transversely disposed upon the guide 13, with its ends bent under the edges of the guide member, being thus loosely connected thereto and adapted to slide freely thereon. The movable member 15 between its turned-under ends 16 is of a length slightly greater than the width of the plate 13. Thus itwill have a certain degree of longitudinal movement transversely of the plate and will swing to a limited extent into a position at an angle to the plate, as shown in Fig. 1. The bar 15 is provided with a projection 18, conforming to and adapted to engage the recess12 when the movable-jaw member is operated, and thus press the wire (indicated in dotted lines at 19 in Fig. 1) into the recess and increase the grip thereon, as hereinafter shown.

Connected to the plate 13 by a rivet 20 is a cam member 21, having an operating leverarm 22 extending therefrom,the latter corresponding to the extension 11 of the fixed-jaw member. The cam member 21 is connected to the movable-jaw member 15 by a link 23 to provide for'the jaw member 15 being'carried outward with the cam-lever when the latter is moved into its outward position, as shown in .full lines in Fig. 1, the link providing for the positive opening of the jaw to permit the insertion of the wire, while at the same time offering no impediment tov the.inward movement of the jaw when the device is to be operated. I

The free ends of the members 11 22 are movably connected to bar-links 24 25 and the latter similarly connected, as at 26 27, to a clevis 28, the clevis having an aperture by which the draft chain orcable may be connected thereto. The draft cable or chain is not illustrated, as it forms no part of the .present invention. Any desired form of draft v It is obvious that by this construction when.

the end of a wire is inserted between the jaw members 10 15 and a draft means applied to the clevis 28 the pivotally-connected members 11 22 24: 25 will be elongated or caused to assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, this movement causing the cam member 21 to compress the jaw member 15 against the wire and very tightly pinch and hold it, and the greater the draft applied to the clevis the more firmly will the wire be gripped. The movable-jaw memberbein-g of a length slightly greater than the transverse width of the plate 13 will be free to swing upon the cam-surface 21 and freely adapt itself to any irregularity of surface between the jaws,

IOC

the force of its grip being thereby greatly increased. This movability of the jaw member 15 is an important feature of the invention and materially increases the efficiency of the device, inasmuch as the jaw member 15 will thereby automatically adjust itself to the Wire and clamp it with certainty and precision and hold it with a uniform grip, so that no unequal strains are imparted to the wire to weaken it, but, on the contrary, distributing the strains uniformly along the whole length of that portion of the wire which for the time being comes between the jaw members.

The movable-jaw member 15 is a very simply-constructed part of the device and being free to move upon the plate 13 will not be cramped thereon when operated, and the strains coming entirely against the thickest portion of the movable-jaw member will not be liable to break it or disarrange it relative to the other parts.

In Fig. 5 a modification is shown in the construction of the mechanism by which the members 11 22 are operated consisting in substituting Wire links 29 30 for the bar-links 24c 25 and a swivel-coupling 31 for the clevis 28; but this would not be a departure from the principle of the invention, as the results produced and the mode of operation are precisely the same.

The parts may be modified as to proportions to adapt the device to gripping and stretching different-sized wires employed for different purposes without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

When the device is employed to grip some kinds of relatively soft wire, such as copper conductor-wires or some forms of insulated wires, the depression 12 and the correspondmaven ing protuberance 18 might be dispensed with, leaving the adjacent surfaces of the jaws straight, or the adjacent surfaces of the jaws might be serrated or otherwise roughened; but these slight modifications would not be a departure from the principle of the invention, as they would not materiallyafiect the operation or the results produced.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a stationary-jaw member having a guide-plate extending therefrom, of a movable-jaw member having extended ends folded around and loosely enclasping opposite sides of the guide-plate for slidably connecting the member thereto, a cam-lever pivotally connected with the guideplate for operating the movablejaw member, and a link pivotally connecting the movablejaw member and cam-lever.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a stationary-jaw member having a guide-plate extending therefrom, of a movable-jaw member having extended ends folded around and loosely enclasping opposite sides of the guide-plate for slidably attaching the member thereto, a camlever pivotally connected with the guideplate for operating the movable-jaw member, a link pivotally connecting said member with the cam-lever, and means for operating the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. DUSANG.

Witnesses:

J. Ross COLHOUN, WILLIAM G. DILLON. 

